Computer Software

Types of Degrees Computer Software Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many computer software & applications graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	3,929
Graduate Certificate	265
Doctor’s Degree	14

What Computer Software Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to computer software and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Computer Software Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in computer software should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Computer Software Majors

When studying computer software, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Abilities for Computer Software Majors

As a computer software major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

What Can You Do With a Computer Software Major?

People with a computer software degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Computer and Information Research Scientists	19.0%	$118,370
Database Administrators	11.5%	$90,070
Graphic Designers	4.2%	$50,370
Multimedia Artists and Animators	8.4%	$72,520
Software Developers, Applications	30.7%	$103,620
Web Developers	14.9%	$69,430

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Computer Software?

Computer Software & Applications runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #50 out of all the graduate majors we track. In 2021, about 3,555 graduates completed their master’s degree in this field. This major tends to be male dominated. About 57% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of computer software majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	319
Black or African American	158
Hispanic or Latino	184
White	1,040
International Students	1,964
Other Races/Ethnicities	264

Geographic Diversity

Computer Software appeals to people across the globe. About 50.0% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Computer Software

Some careers associated with computer software require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for computer software careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.7%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	2.6%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	4.2%
Some College Courses	8.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	8.2%
Bachelor’s Degree	64.4%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	0.7%
Master’s Degree	6.4%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.5%
Doctoral Degree	3.0%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.5%

Online Computer Software Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	267	41
Certificate (2-4 Years)	28	11
Associate’s Degree	384	57
Bachelor’s Degree	67	18
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	94	21
Post-Master’s	8	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	9	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Computer Software

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to computer software.

Major	Number of Grads
Computer Information Systems	105,098
Computer Science	72,693
Information Technology	46,791
Information Science	20,202
Computer Systems Networking	13,734
Computer Programming	12,983
Computer Systems Analysis	2,864
Other Computer & Information Sciences	2,000
Data Processing	1,927
Data Entry	542

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Negative Space under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.